WASHINGTON — The Army chief of chaplains has asked Soldiers and their families to again consider providing assistance to earthquake victims — this time for those in Chile.

A similar designated offering was collected from across the Army in January to provide relief for victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Then, Soldiers and their families donated $574,285 for relief to Haiti, with money being sent to the Red Cross to provide assistance.

The Army’s chief of chaplains this week requested installation and medical center chaplains to hold a designated offering, no later than the weekend of April 11, for victims of the Chile earthquake several weeks ago. Chaplains will inform service attendees when the funds are being collected and designated for Chile relief.

According to the Office of the Chief of Chaplains, the designated offerings will be sent to the relief agency of the garrison’s choice to help the Chile earthquake victims.

The nation of Chile, which is on the western shore of South America, was rocked by a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, Feb. 27. It is estimated nearly 800 Chileans died as a result of the quake — the nation’s largest in 40 years. In 1960, Chile experienced a magnitude 9.5 earthquake — the largest quake in world recorded history.

The Haiti earthquake, though smaller on the Richter scale than Chile’s, killed more than 150,000 in the Port-au-Prince area, alone. Survivors of that disaster are receiving more than half a million dollars from Army chapel donations to the Red Cross.﻿